Chapter 38

Chapter 38

“Do you mean… a memorandum of understanding?”

“Yeah, that’s all well and good, but let’s just get to know each other, so we can reach out and collaborate as needed.”

Just as she promised to build a bridge between Congress and Labs in exchange for help with NoFace’s case. Leila smirked at the example.

“Ahhhhh. I don’t remember being particularly helpful……. In fact, I almost felt bad for paying for the ticket.”

“Something like that.”

He’s a character I’ve always liked. Just because I’ve gotten used to it doesn’t mean I’ve lost my favor. I can show him as many matches as he wants.

“Anyway, what do you think?”

MOUs. This was Kim’s response to Ghost’s non-solicitation request.

Naturally, I wasn’t going to accept a one-sided merger. The reason I didn’t join the lab in the first place was because I didn’t want to be tied down.

Even if you move members around, being part of a lab forces you to take direction. You can’t take initiative.

“You shouldn’t.

The next best thing is to stay away from each other entirely. Like the last time you killed Snowfield outside of a lap.

However, there are limitations.

You need to recognize the butterfly effect of your actions. And at some point, you’re going to have to ask for cooperation.

Even without Ghost’s story, he would have made a similar offer. Kim had no intention of letting the reunion with Leila’s group go to waste.

I even felt like I saved time. I had originally planned to go to the Celbrosics Lab after I got settled in.

“I… I think it’s great, because even though Dustborn is not a big organization, you guys can make a big difference.”

Leila’s answer was affirmative. Ghost remained silent, while Pablo slammed on the brakes.

“I don’t think it’s up to us to decide.”

“I know, just make sure you tell the director. Don’t worry about that part, though, because saying no won’t take away the promised pay.”

“Oh, thank you for understanding.”

Kim figured the lab director wouldn’t say no. It was a valid offer because Dustborn is a small group.

‘Because Rap is also struggling to find his feet.’

There were no shortage of countries or companies interested in rap in gaming, but the problem was that most of them were secretive.

An independent research organization with unrivaled knowledge of spells and a well-armed army. A force to be reckoned with everywhere.

The “friends” you want in a lab aren’t the ones who want to take over the whole place. They want people who will stay out of their way.

When you’re as small as Dustborn, you don’t have to worry about initiative. Given the nature of the lab, they’re not going to ask for too much.

Kim exchanged a glance with Ghost. He saw a slight nod of appreciation, and he smiled inwardly.

‘I’m thanking you.

I was thinking about how to approach the lab, and this was a great opportunity. Ghost would put in a good word for the lab director without him realizing it.

In many ways, he was right.

For now, she had to wait for a response from the lab director. In the meantime, Kim also reached out to her colleagues who have worked with her throughout her career.

“You’re leaving Kilikia?”

“I’m not saying I’m going to stay forever. Now that our partnership with the Council is stabilized, we’ll have to look for other work. Like I said, Kilikia is just one of our bases.”

If the lab kicks me out, I’m not going to reverse it. Whether you’re affiliated with a lab or not, you’re going to have to leave the city at some point.

“I’m thinking of leaving in three months.”

“So what happens here?”

“One of you will have to be the branch manager. You can hire people if you need to.”

Kim scratched his chin, hmmm.

“You might feel bad, because this is coming from the guy who dragged you into the hole in the wall.”

“You sure do look like a douchebag.”

Bryce said grimly.

“But you’re right, Dustborn is already stabilized. It’s a great advantage to have such close ties to the Council in a time of growing authoritarianism, even if we did create this situation.”

“I thought we were going to expand our forces at this point.”

“That’s not good,” he said, “because we have a small government structure, and that’s why Congress is comfortable with us.”

You don’t want Dustborn to get too powerful, Bryce explained to Pep.

“It’s probably more out of our control than anything else. Ideally, if we’re going to build a force, we’d like to do it in small increments, so we can get other customers.”

“I’m better off now, and I get paid well.”

Currently, Dustborn’s salary structure is the same as it was in the Whitefin days. A base salary plus a performance bonus on top of that.

With fewer heads, each gets a bigger cut. Since the No Face scandal, the amount of money paid to Congress has also increased significantly.

“……Why do you guys look at it that way? Did I say something I couldn’t?”

Chelsea flinched at the attention focused on her. Xena, perched on the armrest of the couch, giggled.

“You’re funny, you always told me it’s up to you to take a shit or a company to take a shit. You must be eating well lately because your blood color is better.”

“…….”

She clamped her mouth shut, running out of things to say. Glancing at Chelsea, Kim thought inwardly.

‘I’m sorry you’re having fun.

Chelsea will soon be given instructions. To accompany the president on an extended business trip.

Of course, I wasn’t going to leave everything behind and go it alone. A world where a few lives are not enough. A three-star agent is not enough.

* * *

It took a week for the director of the lab to get back to me.

The answer was neither positive nor negative.

“I’ll invite you to the lab.

To thank Leila and her team for all their help. He asked them to come to the lab to discuss the proposed business agreement in detail.

“You must have a lot of questions for me.

I had no reason to say no. Not like before, when he was a nobody. A visit for a deal, not a desire to join the lab as an agent.

They are on equal footing with each other.

If the director of the lab wants to interrogate you, that’s it. It’s Lab policy not to intimidate guests.

No timeline was set. It was more a matter of Kim than Rapp. There was still work to be done in Kilikia.

“Here, here’s what you asked for.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually bring me this. I don’t know the market price, how much do I have to pay?”

“Cicero, you sound like you’re in trouble.”

Kabek, a parliamentary staffer, places a small flask on the table. A glass bottle sealed with a cork stopper. Inside was a turquoise liquid.

“The solution is a symbol of the amicable exchange between Ish’ladd and Kilikia, something that shouldn’t be floating around on the black market. It should only be given as a prize of the League, but…….”

“I know, I know.”

It shouldn’t be handed to anyone other than the regular root. Like right now. It’s sensitive, so keep it to yourself.

“Well, good for you, you got approved. I thought I was going to have to fight a little harder to get it.”

“Apparently, it’s back in stock.”

“Is this a gift from Ishrad?”

“Sort of.”

The revelation that a company in their country was involved with NoFace. Fearing a deterioration in relations between the two countries, Islamabad responded with substance.

One of them was this solution.

A spell enhancer that is taken out of Ish’ladd in very small quantities. Its performance has been proven. This item is also used in game.

“It’s hard to get after the initial reward, and this is so easy to grab.

The Council wanted to show their good faith. I guess they’re grateful, because they’ve done a good job with the defense of MetroCity and the No Face case.

“It’s saved me a lot of headaches.

I was starting to get nervous. What to do with the solution Asterike would bring.

It is also given to the top players in the league, but only once per individual. It”s like an honorarium. Naturally, you can’t share them.

I was thinking of letting Asterique use it herself, after all, she’s the one who named it, and a stronger Asterique would be a huge boost to her power.

“But he’s human, so he’s greedy.

I searched high and low. In the end, I was able to get my hands on it without much effort.

“It’s your usual good behavior.”

“Conduct?”

“No. What about the payment anyway?”

In the meantime, my wallet has grown thicker. It won’t be cheap, but what’s the point of having it, and at Polaris, money can’t buy everything.

It’s not that you can’t buy a heart, it’s that the more money you have, the more dangerous it is. If you don’t want to be robbed, you have to hire more expensive bodyguards.

It was a happy transfer, keeping in mind that ‘the rich die young’.

“You don’t have to pay for it.”

“It’s not a penny or two, is it?”

“It’s not strange if one or two are missing, the person who manages the inventory might make a mistake, or the carrier might break it.”

Kavek said, pushing the flask away.

“Mistakes should stay mistakes. There shouldn’t be money involved. Sure, it’s a lot of money for the individual, but not for the organization.”

“You don’t want to take it personally?”

“Haha, you’ve got to be kidding me. Do you want to see my life go down the drain?”

Kim received the flask with Silsoe. My first impression was something along the lines of, “He’s an awkward-looking guy,” but Kabek turned out to be more than I expected.

“You can use it right here. I’ll see to it that it’s an order from on high.”

“Oh, you think I’m going to sell it back?”

“I trust you, Mr. Hyun, but trusting and witnessing are not the same thing.”

“Okay, can you tell me how to use it?”

“It’s like an injection into a vein.”

This time, she was handed a syringe. Kim opened the flask and carefully transferred the solution into the cylinder.

“I’m going to have to poke you like three times.”

“You can do that.”

“Oh, right.”

Without a word, I rolled up my sleeve and stuck the needle in my arm. It was an odd feeling that I can’t describe.

I wouldn’t say it’s a turn-off, but it’s just, I don’t know. In the game, you just gather ingredients and press a button, and that’s it, but I realized that this process was missing.

As a user, I had no way of knowing. I’m sure there are many other pain points that only apply to game characters…….

My appreciation was fleeting.

[The use of AP-116 is confirmed].

[Skill ‘Craft Special Weapons’ is enhanced].

[The information for the skill ‘Craft Special Weapons’ will be updated].

.

.

.

[Craft a special weapon].

[Description: Allows the caster to craft special armor that exists within the system of the ‘Polaris’. The maximum grade of equipment that can be crafted is equal to the caster’s Agent rank].

……Was there an explanation?

I’ve never seen anything like it before. In the first place, Kim couldn’t open and close the agent records at will. They just appear, announce changes, and disappear.

The skill information was a few lines further down.

* Enhanced by the effect of AP-116, you can equip one person other than the caster with special armor. In this case, SP is spent twice as much as usual.

“That’s very kind of you.

Kim clicked her tongue, her sentimental feelings quickly dispersed. It was unpleasant to be labeled as a game.

Apart from that.

“If it’s a wear, it’s not like the last time I made a weapon and gave it to Ghost.

This means that it doesn’t matter how long it lasts when you let go of it. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get stat scaling, but you can check out…….

“That’s nice.

It was a big win. The versatility of the skill just went up. I could think of uses for it off the top of my head.

“Let’s make sure we finish the job.